


The Moon and The Stars

by dontshootmespence, mggislife2789 (dontshootmespence)



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Ice Cream, Library, Moon, Other, Stars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 11:10:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22603999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontshootmespence/pseuds/dontshootmespence, https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontshootmespence/pseuds/mggislife2789
Summary: Ten-year old MJ needs help deciding on a project for her science fair. Can Spencer help?Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or their original stories. This is only for fun. It's where my brain goes after the credits roll. No copyright intended. Better safe than sorry. ;)
Relationships: Spencer Reid/Reader, Spencer Reid/You
Comments: 12
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

In the quiet of the library, Spencer heard someone cry out.

“I can’t decide!”

Whoever it was they were on the young side, but he couldn’t help feeling bad for them. The frustration was real.

“I know, honey,” a woman replied. “But the science fair isn’t that far off now you have to pick something.”

Spencer made his way toward the counter, hoping to check out a few books of his own, when he saw a mother and daughter in the science section. 

“It has to be something Einstein!”

The mother looked exasperated, sighing as she rifled through yet another book. “Why?”

“Because Einstein rules!” The little girl exclaimed.

Spencer smiled to himself and couldn’t help his reply. “You’re doing a project on Einstein?”

“Something Einstein-inspired.” She didn’t miss a beat, not even looking up from her book. 

Walking over to the bookshelves, the mother stood up and introduced herself. “I’m Y/N. This is my daughter, Madison Joelle-”

“Or MJ for short,” MJ interjected. “Like the girl from Spiderman. Do you know anything about Einstein? I can’t figure out what to do for my science fair project. 

He bent down to meet MJ’s eyes and saw Y/N mouth ‘sorry.’

“Really, it’s no problem. I know lots of stuff about Einstein. For instance, shortly after Chaim Weizmann, Israel’s first president, died, Einstein was asked to become the second president, but he thought he was too old for the job.”

“No way!” MJ was immediately enthralled. Her mother seemed impressed. “Tell me more!”

“After Einstein died, he was cremated. Except for his brain. A pathologist named Thomas Harvey kept it so he could study it and for almost 40 years he sent pieces of it to other scientists so that they could study it. How old are you MJ?”

“I’m 10. This is my mom. She’s single by the way.”

Y/N cupped her face in her hands. “I’m so sorry,-”

“Spencer,” he laughed. “My name is Spencer Reid. I’m a triple PhD and Einstein was one of my heroes, so when I heard MJ here I couldn’t stop myself.” 

“Three doctoral degrees? That’s higher than master’s degrees, right Mom?”

“Yup. Seems like Spencer here is extremely impressive.” Her eyes glinted in a way he hadn’t seen before and she smiled at him. Morgan would say she was flirting. Was she? For all his intellect, he wasn’t good at this. “Well, Spencer, with all your intelligence, do you think you can help MJ here figure out what to do her science fair project on?”

Without a second thought, he sat down right in the middle of the aisle. MJ did the same much to the surprise of Y/N. Since her dad died, MJ hadn’t taken to any man she’d gone out with, and here she was perfectly comfortable. 

Spencer held his hands together in front of his face, smiling at MJ’s wonder. “Okay MJ, what are some of your favorite things?”

The young girl gave the question much more thought than he imagined she would. “I like puppies and ice cream and I love reading. Umm, I also like the moon and stars. I think I want to be an astronaut when I grow up.”

“That sounds amazing! Do you want to go to Mars?”

“People haven’t gone to Mars yet,” she said confidently. “But I’d like to be the first. Before all the boys.”

With this girl’s determination, he knew it was only a matter of time. “And you absolutely will. Now, I know you love Einstein, and I do too, but why don’t you do a science project that has to do with the moon and stars? Like how the moon affects the stars?”

“The moon affects the stars?” She asked, completely bewildered.

“Absolutely! Sometimes the moon can be so bright that it makes it hard to see dimly lit stars, so depending on the phase of the moon you’ll see more or less stars. What would your hypothesis be?”

“The phases where the moon is a sliver, like a waning crescent or a waxing crescent would show the most stars because there isn’t a lot of light coming from the moon.”

Y/N crouched down and sat behind her daughter, enraptured by the conversation she was having with the cute, kind stranger. “Awesome,” she said, running her hand through her hair. “How do you prove that?”

“I would have to look at the stars every night and see what changes.”

Spencer couldn’t help himself from getting excited. “Exactly, you could go outside on every clear night with your mom and use a telescope to look at the stars and see how many there are in relation to the moon.”

She looked back at her mother with anticipation. “Can we do that, Mom? We can watch the stars every night. Please, I like that idea.”

Y/N was just thankful MJ decided on a project. “Definitely, baby. Spencer, I can’t thank you enough,” she said, standing up and nearly knocking over a bookshelf in the process. “Can’t take me anywhere apparently.”

MJ snickered at her mother and then grabbed one of the books on Einstein anyway. “I still wanna read it. Mom, we’re still gonna go for ice cream, right? Can Spencer come with us?”

He tried to excuse himself, but Y/N reached out and laid her hand on his wrist. “If you have the time, we’d both like that.”

Pointing toward the counter, he spoke. “Let me just check these out. So MJ, what kind of ice cream is your favorite?”

“Chocolate chip cookie dough, duh!”

“Me too!”


	2. What an Imagination!

MJ stared down toward the end of the reception area, marveling at the black and white accouterments and how the stark red roses on each table complemented them. Somehow the bridesmaids’ dresses and her own maid of honor dress matched the roses perfectly, and she felt so pretty in it - that was something considering at 13, she felt less than gorgeous.

She snaked her way through the plethora of tables, looking upward at the white lights draped from floor to floor and bookcase-to-bookcase. Her mom’s side of the family wasn’t that large, but when it came to Spencer, he wanted to invite anyone and everyone he knew from the FBI, making the total upward of 250 guests. 

With a thumbs up to the wedding planner, MJ ran as fast as her high-heeled feet would allow back to where her mother was getting ready. After dating for three years, the day was finally here.

“Mom, you look so pretty,” MJ cried, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes. “The dress is so perfect.”

Y/N used her knuckle to wipe away a stray tear as she turned to her daughter. “I couldn’t have picked it without you.” Ivory lace complemented her mother’s flawless skin, the a-line silhouette fitting her perfectly. Her mother hadn’t thought a corset bodice would look good on her but the moment MJ picked this dress out she knew it was the one. The tulle skirt was overlaid by a soft lace that looked like stars. “You’re the best dress picker in the whole wide world. Maybe you should be a wedding dress consultant?!” Y/N exclaimed.

MJ replied with a smile as the makeup artist finished the last of her makeup. “Maybe I should. I practically got a high.”

“You know what drugs are like?” Her mother asked with mock concern.

“No, but that’s what I’d imagine.”

With MJ’s makeup done, the artist started in on her mother’s and the bridesmaids, leaving her time to run down the hallway to where her soon-to-be Dad 2.0 was getting ready with his friends from the BAU - Morgan, Luke, Matt, David and Hotch. 

A soft knock on the door alerted the men inside. “Dad, it’s me,” she said. “I just wanted to sneak a peek since Mom can’t.”

Spencer opened the door, his hair somehow put together and messy like it always was. The tuxedo he picked was perfect, but when he saw his new stepdaughter, thoughts of how he looked flew out the window. “MJ, you look beautiful,” he said softly, inviting her into the room before kissing the top of her head. “Okay, sweetheart, how does your mom look? Give me a hint.”

“You just have to wait,” she teased. “I’m not telling you about her dress. I will tell you though that if you don’t cry at how beautiful she looks, I, as your new stepdaughter, will be judging you.” 

A raucous round of laughter emanated throughout the room. Morgan slapped Spencer on the shoulder. “This kid? He will absolutely cry.”

“Can’t possibly cry harder than you did at your wedding,” Spencer mumbled. He and Savannah had a quick ceremony, but dammit if Morgan hadn’t cried like a baby. 

“Somehow I think you might,” Hotch added.

Spencer scrunched up his lips into a smile. “All of you can shut up.”

“Okay, I’m going back to mom. I’ll see you later. And remember you have to cry or I judge you.”

She left the men with another round of laughter as she returned to her mother’s room. In just hours, they’d be on their way to the nearby Evergreen Museum and Library’s grounds for the ceremony before returning to the George Peabody Library for the cocktail hour and reception. It was going to be the perfect day.

\---

The following morning MJ woke up with a smile on her face and ran into her mother’s room, slipping under the covers before waking her. “Morning, munchkin,” Y/N said softly. “You sleep okay?”

“Yea, I had a really awesome dream!”

Y/N winced at the loudness of her daughter’s voice, but she laughed. “What was it about?”

“You got married to Spencer at the George Peabody Library! I told him he had to cry when he saw you in your dress or I’d judge him. I was 13. So three years from now, you’re gonna marry Spencer. I’m actually a psychic.”

Snickering, Y/N kissed her daughter’s head. “Shouldn’t we go on a couple dates first?”

“Yes, duh!” MJ said, popping up from under the covers. “According to my brain, you have three years worth of dates! Can I have some cereal now?”

Ah, the innocence of childhood. Laughing, Y/N got up from bed and followed MJ down the stairs. Her daughter may have had an overactive imagination, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t give Spencer a quick text. He was cute after all.


End file.
